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Westport Times, Volume V, Issue 884, 7 November 1871, Page 2

Yesterday was ushered in with the traditional West Coast weather. A strong-north-westerly gale accompanied with shoots of rain lasted the entire day, and as far as the eye could reach the sea presented a succession of angry breakers. Towards afternoon small driftwood, the precursor of a heavy flood, passed down the river, the waters of which were rising rapidly. The schooner Maid of Erin, now ready for sea, is weatherbound, and likely to be detained for several days before proceeding to Melbourne. The schooner \V. S. Monday, with a cargo of general merchandise for Charleston is similarly situated, a*id the schooner Mary Stewart, the last arrival from Melbourne, has been unable to open hatches for the discharge of cargo. A schooner, supposed to bo the Ceres from Melbourne, was seen in the roadstead on Sunday, but owing to the tempestuous weather was forced to put to sea again. Her arrival at the wharf is anxiously looked for by our local traders as her cargo consists largely of articles which on the 20th instant will be subject to the new duties' tariff.

In the R. M. Court, on Saturday, J. Vaughan, charged with drunkenness and disorderly conduct, was fined 20s, or in default 48 hours' imprisonment. The usual monthly meeting of the Westport Hospital Committee will take place at the Court House this evening, . The attendance of members i 3 particularly requested owing to the accumulation of busine.-s, the previous monthly meeting having lapsed through non-attendance.

A most dastardly attempt to burn down the building in course of erection by Mr Atkinson, at the Orawaiti, was made between Saturday night and Monday morning. The house, which is intended for a public house, and occupies the site of the former St Kilda Hotel, recently destroyed by fire, lias been nearly completed, and a quantity of scrim, &c., which was about to be used for lining the walls, had been collected by the incendiary and set fire to. Fortunately the heat was not sufficiently intense to ignite the building which escaped further injury than a few

charred flooring boards. The character of "he building and tho circumstances attending the affair leave it beyond doubt that the tenement was wilfully and ma'iciously fired. We believe that suspicion has been unable as yet to attach to any person, capable of perpetrating so vile an act, and it is improbable that any cluo to the incendiary will be discovered. Mr Atkinson purposes sleeping in the house during its erection, and a vigilant watch will bo kept to guard against a repetition of the attempt. The average amount of coal exported annually for tho last three years from Newcastle, New South Wales, has beon, in round numbers 700,000 tons. The proposed duty on mortgages and bills of sale has been withdrawn. The stamp on cheques has been increased to twopence. Mr Moorhouse has been re-appointed Registrar-General of Lands, vice Mr Williams resigned. The half-yearly balance sheet of tho Bank of New Zealand showed net profits amounting to £45,215 lis lOd. A dividend at the rate of ten per cent, per annum, with a bonus of five per cent, per share added, was declared. M'Meckan, Blackwood, and Co. will despatch a steamer fortnightly for Auckland alternately by the east and west coasts of New Zealand. The s.s. Phoebe has been sold to the New Zealand Steamship Company. A report reached Wellington on tho Ist inst., that an engagement had taken place between To Kooti and the Arawas under Capt. Preece, in which the Arawas were defeated and their leader slain. We fervently hope that the report will prove unfounde !. Mr Weston, the Wizard Oil Prince, gave a novel entcrtainmimt at tho Masonic Hall on Saturday evening, ostensibly for the purpose of introducing a specific which is stated to act as an infallible remedy for rheumatic affections and other " ills that flesh is heir to." lie interspersed his remarks upon the emcaey of the " oil " with numberless quaint and humorous anecdotes, which certainly lost nothing in his mode of delivery. A number of songs contributed to the amusement of the audience, and the " Wizard" succeeded in the delicate task of introducing his own wares to an intelligent and appreciative British public with a graceful tact which must surely transmit his name with fame to posterity.